Stardew Valley Fish Pond: Complete Quest, Produce, and Upgrade Guide

The Fish Pond is one of those farm buildings that quietly does a lot of work. Drop a fish in, walk away, and a few days later the chum bucket fills with roe, gems, ore, or the occasional piece of broken glass. This guide covers the recipe, the population quests for every species, and exactly what each pond produces over time.

Crafting the Fish Pond at Robin's Shop

The Fish Pond arrived in Version 1.4 and has been available from day one of every save since. Head to Robin's Carpenter Shop in the mountains with the following:

• 5,000g
• 200x Stone
• 5x Seaweed
• 5x Green Algae

Construction takes two in-game days. Once it's finished, drop a single fish in to seed the population. From there, the pond handles breeding on its own.

Population Caps and Fish Quests

Fish multiply inside the pond until they hit a soft cap. The default ceiling is three, and raising it requires completing a short delivery quest. Interact with the pond and the resident fish will tell you what they want; hand it over and the cap climbs to the next tier, all the way to ten. The Legendary Fish and Legendary Fish II are the exceptions: only one of each can live in a pond at a time.

Below is the full quest list grouped by species. Each tier triggers when the pond reaches that population.

Tropical and ocean species

Lionfish

• Population 3: 3x Ginger or 1x Pineapple
• Population 5: 1x Mango

Blue Discus

• Population 3: 3x Taro Root
• Population 5: 10x Taro Root

Stingray

• Population 3: 7x Cinder Shard
• Population 5: 1x Dragon Tooth

Squid

• Population 3: 3x Coral or 1x Sea Urchin
• Population 5: 2x Sardine

Midnight Squid

• Population 3: 3x Coral or 1x Sea Urchin
• Population 5: 2x Sardine
• Population 8: 1x Ocean Stone

Flounder

• Population 3: 3x Coral
• Population 5: 1x Sea Jelly

Herring

• Population 3: 3x Driftwood
• Population 5: 1x Coral

Freshwater and farm pond species

Carp

• Population 3: 2x Green Algae
• Population 5: 2x Cave Carrot

Midnight Carp

• Population 3: 10x Coal
• Population 5: 1x River Jelly

Sunfish

• Population 3: 2x Acorn or 2x Geode
• Population 5: 1x Amethyst or 3x Mixed Seeds

Rare and signature catches

Blobfish

• Population 1: 3x Coral, 2x Frozen Tear, or 2x Sea Urchin
• Population 3: 5x Coffee Bean, 1x Mayonnaise, or 1x Pizza
• Population 5: 1x Cookie, 1x Green Tea, or 1x Wine
• Population 7: 1x Rainbow Shell or 1x Rice Pudding

Lava Eel

• Population 1: 3x Fire Quartz
• Population 3: 1x Basalt, 2x Diamond, or 1x Dwarf Scroll III
• Population 5: 2x Mega Bomb
• Population 7: 1x Iridium Bar

Woodskip

• Population 1: 10x Hardwood
• Population 3: 2/3x Common Mushroom or 2/3x Red Mushroom
• Population 5: 1x Oak Resin or 1x Pine Tar
• Population 7: 2x Jade or 1x Tea Leaves

Sandfish and Scorpion Carp

• Population 3: 3x Cactus Fruit or 3x Coconut
• Population 5: 1x Golden Relic

Void Salmon

• Population 1: 5x Void Essence
• Population 3: 10x Bat Wing
• Population 5: 1x Diamond or 1x Void Egg
• Population 7: 1x Iridium Ore

Slimejack

• Population 1: 20x Slime
• Population 3: 10x Bug Meat
• Population 5: 1x Algae Soup or 5x Wild Bait
• Population 7: 1x Petrified Slime

Mine and cave fish

Stonefish

• Population 1: 10x Copper Ore
• Population 3: 5x Earth Crystal
• Population 5: 10x Coal or 5x Geode
• Population 7: 4x Copper Bar or 5x Refined Quartz

Ice Pip

• Population 1: 10x Iron Ore
• Population 3: 5x Frozen Tear
• Population 5: 10x Coal, 1x Crystal Fruit, or 5x Frozen Geode
• Population 7: 4x Iron Bar or 10x Refined Quartz

Ghostfish

• Population 1: 5x Quartz
• Population 3: 5x Cave Carrot
• Population 5: 5x White Algae
• Population 7: 1x Dwarf Scroll I, 1x Dwarf Scroll II, or 2x Refined Quartz

Sturgeon

• Population 1: 1x Diamond
• Population 3: 1x Jelly, 2x Maple Syrup, or 1x Pickles
• Population 5: 3x Omni Geode
• Population 7: 1x Nautilus Shell

Premium catches

Super Cucumber

• Population 3: 3x Coral, 1x Honey, 1x Oyster, 3x Driftwood, or 3x Refined Quartz
• Population 5: 1x Dried Starfish, 2x Emerald, 2/3x Omni Geode, or 2/3x Purple Mushroom
• Population 7: 1x Diamond, 3x Gold Bar, 1x Iridium Ore, 1x Jelly, 1x Pickles, or 2x Sea Urchin

Octopus

• Population 3: 3x Coral, 1x Honey, 1x Oyster, or 3x Refined Quartz
• Population 5: 1x Dried Starfish, 2x Emerald, 2/3x Omni Geode, or 2/3x Purple Mushroom
• Population 7: 1x Green Tea

Rainbow Trout

• Population 3: 3x Coral, 1x Honey, 1x Oyster, or 3x Refined Quartz
• Population 5: 1x Dried Starfish, 2x Emerald, 2/3x Omni Geode, or 2/3x Purple Mushroom
• Population 7: 1x Diamond, 3x Gold Bar, 1x Iridium Ore, 1x Jelly, or 1x Pickles

Spook Fish

• Population 3: 3x Amethyst, 3x Coral, 3x Iron Bar, 1x Oyster, 3x Red Mushroom, or 3x Refined Quartz
• Population 5: 1x Dried Starfish, 2x Emerald, 1x Granite, 2/3x Omni Geode, or 2/3x Purple Mushroom
• Population 7: 1x Diamond, 3x Gold Bar, 1x Iridium Ore, 1x Mayonnaise, or 1x Pickles

Catfish

• Population 3: 2x Amethyst, 3x Copper Bar, 3x Red Mushroom, or 2x Topaz
• Population 5: 10x Bat Wing, 2x Earth Crystal, 5x Mixed Seeds, or 2/3x Purple Mushroom
• Population 7: 1x Diamond, 3x Iron Bar, 1x Mayonnaise, or 1x Pickles

Grouped quest tables

Several species share identical quest requirements, so they're listed together below to keep this section readable.

Dorado, Lingcod, and Pike

• Population 3: 2x Bream, 2x Carp, or 2x Chub
• Population 5: 2x Bullhead or 2x Largemouth Bass
• Population 7: 2x Ghostfish, 2x Sandfish, or 2x Woodskip

Crayfish, Snail, and Periwinkle

• Population 3: 5x Clay or 15x Fiber
• Population 5: 10x Bug Meat, 1x Cave Carrot, or 5x Hardwood
• Population 7: 1x Field Snack, 5x Solar Essence, or 1x Wild Bait

Mussel, Clam, Cockle, Oyster, Shrimp, Crab, and Lobster

• Population 3: 5x Clay
• Population 5: 10x Bug Meat or 5x Quartz
• Population 7: 1x Sea Urchin, 5x Solar Essence, or 1x Wild Bait

Anchovy, Albacore, Halibut, Red Mullet, Red Snapper, Sardine, Sea Cucumber, Tilapia, Eel, Pufferfish, and Tuna

• Population 3: 3x Driftwood, 1x Frozen Geode, or 1/2x Seaweed
• Population 5: 2x Clam or 2x Coral
• Population 7: 2x Aquamarine, 1x Mussel, or 2x Sea Urchin

Bream, Chub, Perch, Salmon, Shad, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, and Goby

• Population 3: 3x Acorn, 10x Bug Meat, 3x Maple Seed, or 3x Pine Cone
• Population 5: 3x Gold Ore, 1x Maple Syrup, or 5x Mixed Seeds
• Population 7: 1x Crayfish, 1x Honey, 2x Jade, or 1x Periwinkle

Bullhead and Largemouth Bass

• Population 3: 10x Bug Meat, 2/3x Clay, 2/3x Green Algae, or 5x Slime
• Population 5: 2/3x Common Mushroom, 1/2x Earth Crystal, or 1x Limestone
• Population 7: 1x Mudstone, 1x Snail, or 5x Wild Bait

Fish Pond Produce

Every Fish Pond eventually drops loot into the chum bucket on the side. Larger populations boost both the rarity and the quantity, so pushing through every quest tier directly pays off. Dropping a Golden Animal Cracker into the pond doubles whatever the fish produce, turning a casual side build into a serious gold engine. Crackers can be found inside containers and as monster drops once you've claimed Farming Mastery.

Here is the full produce table, sorted by item:

• Acorn: Woodskip
• Amethyst: Super Cucumber
• Banana: Blue Discus
• Broken CD: Crayfish, Periwinkle, Snail, Clam, Cockle, Crab, Lobster, Mussel, Oyster, Shrimp
• Broken Glasses: Crayfish, Periwinkle, Snail, Clam, Cockle, Crab, Lobster, Mussel, Oyster, Shrimp
• Bug Meat: Dorado, Lingcod, Pike
• Cactus Seeds: Sandfish, Scorpion Carp
• Cave Jelly: Lava Eel
• Cinder Shard: Stingray
• Copper Ore: Stonefish
• Coral: Clam, Cockle, Crab, Lobster, Mussel, Oyster, Shrimp
• Diamond: Stonefish, Ice Pip
• Dolomite: Coral
• Dragon Tooth: Stingray
• Driftwood: Crayfish, Periwinkle, Snail, Clam, Cockle, Crab, Lobster, Mussel, Oyster, Shrimp
• Frozen Geode: Ice Pip
• Frozen Tear: Ice Pip
• Geode: Stonefish
• Gold Ore: Lava Eel
• Golden Coconut: Blue Discus
• Green Algae: Slimejack, Crayfish, Periwinkle, Snail
• Green Slime Egg: Slimejack
• Hardwood: Woodskip
• Iridium Ore: Super Cucumber
• Iron Ore: Ice Pip
• Limestone: Coral
• Magma Cap: Stingray
• Magma Geode: Lava Eel
• Maple Seed: Woodskip
• Mixed Seeds: Crayfish, Periwinkle, Snail
• Nautilus Shell: Clam, Cockle, Crab, Lobster, Mussel, Oyster, Shrimp
• Omni Geode: Octopus
• Pale Broth: Ghostfish
• Pearl: Blobfish
• Pine Cone: Woodskip
• Prismatic Shard: Rainbow Trout
• Quartz: Ghostfish
• Rainbow Shell: Rainbow Trout
• Refined Quartz: Ghostfish
• River Jelly: Midnight Carp
• Roe: Produced by almost every fish in the game, including Lionfish, Blue Discus, Stingray, Carp, Catfish, Herring, Midnight Carp, Flounder, Sunfish, Blobfish, Lava Eel, Woodskip, Tiger Trout, Sandfish, Scorpion Carp, Void Salmon, Slimejack, Stonefish, Ice Pip, Ghostfish, Sturgeon, Super Cucumber, Octopus, Rainbow Trout, Spook Fish, Dorado, Lingcod, Pike, Sea Urchin, Crayfish, Periwinkle, Snail, Clam, Cockle, Crab, Lobster, Mussel, Oyster, Shrimp, Albacore, Anchovy, Eel, Halibut, Pufferfish, Red Mullet, Red Snapper, Sardine, Sea Cucumber, Tilapia, Tuna, Bream, Bullhead, Chub, Goby, Largemouth Bass, Perch, Salmon, Shad, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Angler, Ms. Angler, Mutant Carp, Radioactive Carp, Crimsonfish, Son of Crimsonfish, Glacierfish, Glacierfish Jr., Legend, and Legend II
• Sea Jelly: Flounder
• Sea Urchin: Clam, Cockle, Crab, Lobster, Mussel, Oyster, Shrimp
• Seaweed: Clam, Cockle, Crab, Lobster, Mussel, Oyster, Shrimp
• Slime: Slimejack
• Soggy Newspaper: Crayfish, Periwinkle, Snail, Clam, Cockle, Crab, Lobster, Mussel, Oyster, Shrimp
• Solar Essence: Sunfish
• Spicy Eel: Lava Eel
• Squid Ink: Squid, Midnight Squid
• Stone: Stonefish
• Taro Tuber: Lionfish
• Tiger Slime Egg: Lionfish
• Trash: Crayfish, Periwinkle, Snail, Clam, Cockle, Crab, Lobster, Mussel, Oyster, Shrimp
• Treasure Chest: Spook Fish
• Void Egg: Void Salmon
• Void Essence: Void Salmon
• Warp Totem: Beach: Clam, Cockle, Crab, Lobster, Mussel, Oyster, Shrimp
• Warp Totem: Farm: Blobfish
• Warp Totem: Mountains: Crayfish, Periwinkle, Snail
• White Algae: Ghostfish
• Wood: Woodskip

Stack a handful of ponds with different roe producers, age the eggs into aged roe in a Preserves Jar, and you have an artisan goods loop that mostly runs itself while you handle the rest of the farm.